ERIC ED366157: Reading with Young Children. Reading: Research-Based Decision Making Series, Number 9302.

77 Pages·2.1 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
EC 302 760
ED 366 157
Jackson, Nancy Ewald; Roller, Cathy M.
AUTHOR
Reading with Young Children. Reading: Research-Based
TITLE
Decision Making Series, Number 9302.
National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented,
INSTITUTION
Storrs, CT.
Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED),
SPONS AGENCY
Washington, DC.
PUB DATE
Jan 93
R206R00001
CONTRACT
NOTE
77p.
NRC/GT, The University of Connecticut, 362 Fairfield
AVAILABLE FROM
Rd., U-7, Storrs, CT 06269-2007.
Information Analyses (070) -- Guides Non-Classroom
PUB TYPE
Use (055)
MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Beginning Reading; *Early Reading; Elementary School
DESCRIPTORS
Students; *Gifted; Literacy; Parent Role; *Prereading
Experience; Preschool Children; Preschool Education;
Primary Education; Reading Readiness; Reading Skills;
Reading Tests; Story Reading; Toddlers; Writing
Instruction; Writing Skills; Young Children
ABSTRACT
This report provides research-based answers to
questions about literacy development from infancy to age 6, with
emphasis on the development of these skills in precocious readers.
The question-answer format considers the importance of reading with
young children, other activities to help young children learn to
read, normal development of reading and writing skills, the
precocious reader, and testing a preschooler's reading ability.
Conclusions are organized into recommendations for parents and
recommendations for teachers and administrators. An executive summary
stresses seven conclusions: (1) children acquire important literacy
(2) effective
knowledge and behaviors during the preschool years;
story reading is interactive and responsive to the child;
(3) in
early reading development, the child's developing knowledge of
language is most important while in later reading development,
his/her knowledge of the world and expressive skills becomes more
critical; (4) early writing skills may develop in parallel with or
out-of-step with reading skills; (5) learning letter names and sounds
is an important part of early literacy development; (6) reading
failure can be prevented by the early identification of reading
difficulties followed by appropriate instruction; and (7) precocious
reading is an example of giftedness. (Contains 31 references.)
(DB)
***********************************************************************
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
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Reading With Young Children
Nancy Ewald Jackson, Ph.D.
Cathy M. Roller, Ph.D.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
January 1993
Number 9302
dIP
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RESEARCH-BASED DECISION MAKING SERIES
THE NATIONAL
RESEARCH CENTER
ON THE GIFTED
AND TALENTED
the
The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) is funded under
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, Office of Educational
Research and Improvement, United States Department of Education.
The Directorate of the NRC/GT serves as the administrative unit and is located at
The University of Connecticut.
The participating universities include The University of Georgia, The University of
Virginia, and Yale University, as well as a research unit at The University of
Connecticut.
The University of Connecticut
Dr. Joseph S. Renzulli, Director
Dr. E. Jean Gubbins, Assistant Director
The University of Connecticut
Dr. Francis X. Archambault, Associate Director
The University of Georgia
Dr. Mary M. Frasier, Associate Director
The University of Virginia
Dr. Carolyn M. Callahan, Associate Director
Yale University
Dr. Robert J. Sternberg, Associate Director
Copies of this report are available from:
NRC/GT
The University of Connecticut
362 Fairfield Road, U-7
Storrs, CT 06269-2007
No. R206R00001) as
Research for this report was supported under the Javits Act Program (Grant
U.S. Department of Education.
administered by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement,
judgement. This
Grantees undertaking such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional
policies of the Government, and no official
report, therefore, does not necessarily represent positions or
endorsement should be inferred.
Note to Readers...
Research Center on the Gifted and
All papers that are commissioned by The National
Series may be reproduced in their
Talented for the Research-Based Decision Making
include the
All reproductions, whether in part or whole, should
entirety or in sections.
following statement:
Javits Act Program
Research for this report was supported under the
Office of Educational
(Grant No. R206R00001) as administered by the
Education. Grantees
Research and improvement, U.S. Department of
freely their
undertaking such projects are encouraged to express
does not necessarily
professional judgement. This report, therefore,
Government, and no official
represent positions or policies of the
endorsement should be inferred.
permission of The National
This document has been reproduced with the
Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.
publications, please forward a copy to:
If sections of the papers are printed in other
Talented
The National Research Center on the Gifted and
The University of Connecticut
362 Fairfield Road, U-7
Storrs, CT 06269-2007
111
About the Authors....
of
Dr. Nancy Ewald Jackson, a developmental psychologist, is Associate Professor
Educational Psychology at the University of Iowa and an affiliate of The Connie Be lin
children
National Center for Gifted Education. She has been studying giftedness in young
hook chapters
for almost twenty years and is the author of numerous research articles and
about precocious reading and the development of giftedness.
University
Dr. CathyM. Roller is Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at The
Her
of Iowa and director of the Children's Reading Clinic Summer Remedial Program.
Her work
research has focused on the reading process and children's acquisition of reading.
Quarterly, The Reading Teacher, and Reading
appears in such journals as Reading Research
Behavior.
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vii
Reading With Young Children
Nancy Ewald Jackson, Ph.D.
Cathy M. Roller, Ph.D.
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa
ABSTRACT
and teachers
This report provides research-based answers to questions parents
infancy to about age 6 years. The
often ask about how reading and writing develop from
children is considered in a
unusually rapid development of these skills in some young
ability is a form of gifted
major section on precocious readers. Precocious reading
other kinds of gifted
intellectual performance that may appear alone or together with
those who are concerned
performance. However, this report.was not written only for
Much of the report addresses
with the development or education of gifted children.
and writing ability in young children
general questions about the development of reading
written so that it can
who may have other gifts. Each major section of thc report was
list and list of recommended resources
stand alone, and each contains a separate reference
for parents and teachers.
that literacy development
The research literatures summarized in this report reveal
base of knowledge and
begins very early as the 2- or 3-year-old child acquires a broad
Learning to identify
skills in the contcxt of a wide range of activities and experiences.
read and write, but early
and print letters and words are important parts of beginning to
of stories, the
literacy development also encompasses learning about the nature
oral language. Aspects of
characteristics and functions of print, and the sound patterns of
but individual
reading and writing skills are likely to develop in predictable sequences,
Literacy-related activities are
children's development across skill areas may be uneven.
if they are geared to the child's current level
most likely to nurture a child's development
children become precocious
of undemanding and interest. The reasons why some
likely to have a solid repertoire
readers are not well understood. Precocious readers are
strengths, and precocious readers
of reading skills, but individuals differ in their relative
other skill areas, such as writing or reasoning.
may not be equally advanced in
children who have not started
Precocious readers are likely to remain good readers, but
reading and writing skills may
early often catch up. Early assessment of a child's
both precocious and slow-to-
facilitate the development of appropriate curriculum for
develop readers.
ix
Reading With Young Children
Nancy Ewald Jackson. Ph.D.
Cathy M. Roller, Ph.D.
University of Iowa
Iowa City. Iowa
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
gifts
Teachers and parents of young children who have demonstrated intellectual
good start in
often are concerned, and appropriately so, about helping these children get a
learned to read at unusually
reading. They also may wonder whether children who have
summarizes recent
early ages have a solid foundation for future learning. This report
the initial stages of
research on how adults can help children as they progress through
rapidly than most, but
literacy during these years. Some children progress much more
place in all children.
the literature suggests that the same kinds of development take
reading in the
Therefore, we present the literature on the development of precocious
emerging literacy.
context of a general review of the literature on
children's later
Because reading with young children is a significant factor in
with children in
reading and academic performance, it is important for adults to read
is responsiveness.
productive ways. A guiding principle in reading with young children
reading. Story
Children at different stages of development respond differently to story
discussing
reading early in development may consist of pointing out, naming, and
pictures. As the child develops, the sessions include more actual reading of the story,
child may begin to
interspersed with responses to and talk about the story. Eventually the
evolve naturally
take over the reading role. The optimum form of interaction is likely to
Martinez, 1985;
if adults follow the child's lead and are responsive to the child (Roser &
reading
Wells, 1986). While research is sometimes inconclusive about particular
keep the child
practices and behaviors, interactions that build on the child's interests and
development.
engaged in the story session are likely to be most productive for literacy
with
Responsiveness is also an important principle for selecting books to read
read at very early ages and often ask to
young children. Children know what they want to
these choices.
have the same books read repeatedly. Parents and adults should honor
stories such
With multiple readings, children's attention shifts among various aspects of
print characteristics. Rereading seems to provide
as illustrations, comprehension, and
This is not to say
opportunities for various kinds of learning (Martinez & Roser, 1985).
help in exploring
that adults should not choose books for children. Often children need
Adults can offer
the many and varied possibilities that children's books offer.
children to stick with a
possibilities and expand children's horizons. They can encourage
children to read books that
book that may seem too challenging at first. However, forcing
provide the kind of
they do not like is ultimately counterproductive and does not
should respect children's
experience that will foster life-long reading behaviors. Adults
judgment and be responsive to their choices.
sitting down with a book
Reading with children involves much more than an adult
around books include a great
and reading the print to the child. Adult-child interactions
and higher-order thinking
deal of talk that contributes to the development of vocabulary
with children. For example, an
skills. Adults often share their responses to story events
character's action.
adult might say, "Oh! I don't think I'd do that!" in response to a
background information needed
Adults often check children's understanding and provide
xi
models the comprehension process and help the
to make sense of story events. Adult talk
child understand that reading is about making sense.
Reading to children is a very important and critical aspect of literacy
literacy
development, but other activities are also important. Children make important
language
discoveries from interacting with environmental print and from the oral
television, toys,
development that occurs in their conversations with adults. In addition,
development (Liebert &
and computer programs may contribute to early literacy
knowledge about
Sprafkin, 1980). Most successful early readers have a great deal of
typically associated with
letters and sounds. They know both letter names and the sounds
the uninterrupted
individual letters and letter combinations. They also understand that
into segments that correspond with
stream of sound in a spoken word can be analyzed
acquire this knowledge in
printed letters (Goswami & Bryant, 1990). Typically, they
with their parents and
informal activities, games, and the writing activities they engage in
other adults.
ready to learn
We used to think of the preschool years as a time when a child gets
learned more about the nature and meaning of
to read. However, as researchers have
of reading and
children's earliest interactions with books, pencils, and paper, definitions
in life as the earliest
writing have been expanded to include skills that emerge very early
shift in how we think and write about
stages in the development of literacy. This
think of the ways
preschoolers' literacy skills is important for parents and teachers. If we
behavior, we are reminded
in which a 3-year-old interacts with print as genuinely literate
learned from recent
of the importance of these activities. The most general lesson to be
skills that might seem
research on emergent literacy in children of preschool age is that
actually are important signs of progress in
more like play than real reading and writing
and writer.
the child's gradual mastery of the complexities of being a reader
behavior and
In both reading and writing development, children imitate adult
incomplete approximations to conventional reading
move gradually from unconventional,
develop alongside one
and writing performances. A set of loosely related skill sequences
through each sequence.
another, but children vary greatly in the rate of their progressions
be at comparable
An individual child might not go through a sequence step-by-step or
letters, understanding the
points in the development of different skills such as identifying
nature of stories, and writing.
and recognize
The earliest stages of development involve learning to identify print
children's initial reading
that reading and writing are special activities. For example,
in a book without paying any attention to
attempts may involve talking about the pictures
talking about something on the
print, but showing awareness that reading involves
print when they are
printed page. Eventually, children come to understand and use
important preliminary
reading, but this skill emerges at the end of a sequence of
begin to write stories,
developments (Sulzby & Barnhart, 1992). Similarly, as children
with the words that they intend
the print they put on the paper may have little connection
develops, and writing takes more conventional
to write. Gradually the word/print match
forms (Bissex, 1980).
that the stream of
Children also need to learn to identify letters and recognize
divided into a sequence of sounds that
sound they hear when a word is pronounced can be
identify
matches those letters. Children who are progressing at an average rate can
kindergarten year (Markwardt,
beginning-letter sounds in words by the end of their
should have developed
1989). By the time they are in second grade, children
& Gates, 1992).
considerable skill in sounding-out words (Byrne, Freehody,
xii
i 0